University of Maine Cooperative Extension Edward Remsburg photo - beef on pasture
 

Maine Beef Newsletter

Volume 4 Number 7
July August 2014
News and events of interest to beef producers in Maine from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Maine, Department of Agriculture, Maine Beef Producers and other agriculture organizations in Maine.  
Grass Fed Beef Certification

Free online sources of information:
Maine Beef Production Information by UMaine Extension
Beef Cattle Comments by Mike Baker, Cornell University 
 
Need Hay? Have Hay to sell? Check out the UMaine Extension Hay Directory.

Why a New Animal/Plant Disease and Insect Control Lab for Maine?

On November's ballot there will be an $8,000,000 bond referendum to support Maine agriculture, facilitate economic growth in natural resource based industries, and monitor human health threats related to ticks, mosquitoes, and bedbugs through the creation of an Animal and Plant Disease and Insect Control Laboratory administered by University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Explore the ways a new Animal/Plant Disease and Insect Control Laboratory will benefit Maine by clicking on one of these topics:  

WUFFDA Maine Beef Excel Program

Dave Marcinkowski, UMaine Extension Dairy Specialist has amended the University of Georgia WUFFDA Excel program to include the dietary requirements of beef as well as typical ration ingredients that Maine beef producers might feed. It can be a little quirky to run, but if you are familiar with Excel and want to give it a try let either Dave Marcinkowski [email protected] or Donna Coffin [email protected] know and we can send you the template.
If you would be interested in learning more about using this template to calculate least cost rations, let Donna Coffin know so we can make plans for a winter workshop. 
Beef Cattle and Calf Prices from Flame Stockyard
2010 to 2014 and June 2014 to July 2014

Beef producers selling through auction houses try to compare the price they receive with the industry average. But that average varies according to when and where the auction is, type and condition of the animals, number of animals in the various categories, number of buyers present, etc. Flame Livestock Auction Report in the Weekly Market Bulletin from the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture http://agriculture.nh.gov/market-bulletin/index.htm 

 

 This is a comparison of the last four years sales at approximately the same time of month (first week of the month) with the last eight weeks sales in dollars per pound.

   All beef prices have increased through the years and recent grower prices are nearing $2.50 per pound.
Weaning Options:
Weaning is one of the most important but stressful events calves undergo before slaughter and can result in reduced gains, increased sickness and even death. Buyers are looking for animals that are weaned and ready to gain in their production facility. Below are some options that farmers use. 
Truck Weaning - Load the calves onto the truck and ship to the auction or buyer. This is extremely stressful to the calves (J.B. Hall, Virginia Tech). These calves are more likely to become sick in the next stage of production due to this type of weaning. Producers who wish to reduce sickness should consider an alternative method of weaning.  
Dry-lot Weaning - involves separating calves from their dams and containing them in a dry-lot with feed bunks and water. Feed bunks should be perpendicular to the fence or hay bales should be positioned to prevent calves from walking the fence line in search of its dam. Allowing the water trough to overflow is useful for calves that may not be familiar with drinking from a trough. Facilities for dry-lot weaning need to be sturdy to prevent calves from escaping. The abrupt separation of calf from its dam is stressful, but not as bad as truck weaning.  
Pasture Weaning - is similar to dry-lot weaning in that the calves are separated from their dams, but rather than being placed in a dry-lot, they are maintained on familiar pasture. These calves should be located a considerable distance from the cowherd to prevent a cow or calf from tearing through fence lines to reach each other. As with dry-lot weaning, stresses related to the abrupt separation are still present, but is still reduced compared to truck weaning.  
Fence Line Weaning - involves separating calves from their dams by a common fence line. Producers who utilize fence-line weaning must make sure that fences are secure and sturdy to prevent cows and calves from mixing. Cows and calves will migrate into the field to graze, but will return and spend time along the fence line.  
Although behavioral changes occur as weaning takes place, researchers from the University of California, Davis report that after the 5th day of separation, calves returned to normal behavior. When compared to weaned calves that were totally separated, this research reports that fence-line weaned calves gained more weight 2 weeks after weaning. These researchers noted that although the difference in weight gain at 10 weeks was less than at 2 weeks, these calves continued to gain more weight than totally separated weaned calves.  
These researchers also report that fence-line weaned calves did not gain as much weight as un-weaned control calves; however, they did gain more than totally separated calves throughout their experiment.  
Selecting a weaning method that best suits your operation and markets will be useful when trying to maximize production and profits. Regardless which weaning strategy is used, developing an understanding of how stress can play a role in weight loss and sickness will be useful when making sound management decisions.  
Source: Wilson, T., Farm Notes Beef Management - Weaning, Bradford County Extension Fact Sheet, University of Florida, issue 12, June 2014. 
2012 Census of Agriculture logo
2012 Census of Agriculture State and County Level Data
The detailed statistics from the 2012 Census of Agriculture has been released and can be viewed at http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/

So how many beef farms in Maine? It depends on your definition.
Here are some of the categories that the Census reports on. Some folks count dairy cattle since the final destination for the animals is usually as a beef product.  The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.

20122007
North American Industrial Classification
  
Beef Cattle & Farming*950765
Feedlots**14119
Dairy  Farms ***
308396



Total Sales of Cattle & Calves

Farms26561447
Number animals35,31127,501



Inventory


Beef Cows
  
Farms13541326
Number animals10,50512,114



Other Cattle (heifers, steers, bulls, calves)
  
In addition to Beef Cow Farms12083
Number animals10,75411,818
   
Total farms with beef14741409
Total beef animals21,25923,932
*Establishments primarily engaged in production or feeding of beef cattle except feedlots.
**Establishments primarily engaged in fattening beef cattle in a confined area for a period of at least 30 days. Feedlot operations that are an integral part of breeding, raising & grazing cattle are classified as Feedlots.
*** Establishments primarily engaged in the production of cows' milk and other dairy products and in raising dairy heifer replacements. Such farms may process and bottle milk on the farm and sell at wholesale or retail.

So we could say there are 950 Beef Cattle Farms and 14 Beef Feedlots in Maine in 2012. Also, there were 1,474 farms that had a total of 21,259 beef animals on them.
Here is a chart showing the counties with the highest number of cattle sales in 2012 and 2007.  These include dairy and beef type cattle sales.

 If you need help interperting the 2012 Census or any of the reports from the USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service contact Gary Keough, State Statistician at [email protected] or 603-227-3129.
Maine Beef Producers Association Website Is Here!
 www.mainebeefproducers.com is current official website of the Maine Beef Producers Association. As with any new website there will be a time of transition while all information is being updated.  The committee is working with a web designer to make this site an asset to the members of MBPA, potential members and people interested in finding out about beef production in Maine. The committee welcomes your suggestions and recommendations to make this site as helpful as possible. Please send your suggestions to: 
Bob Dusoe, [email protected]
Dan Costain, [email protected]
Phil Newcombe, [email protected]
Jenn Grant, [email protected]
Donna Coffin, [email protected]
or Jacob Guimond,
[email protected]
MBPA logo and top of brochure
Join the Maine Beef Producers Association 
The Maine Beef Producers Association is accepting dues for the 2014 year. Annual dues are $35. for an extra $25 you can get a year subscription to County Folks. For more information on this organization and for membership application go to http://bit.ly/19oljzu 
 
To receive Maine Beef News: All Maine beef producers are welcome to subscribe to the Maine Beef News for free. To keep costs down we are asking folks to sign up for the electronic version at http://bit.ly/PPfarming.
You can also access the archived issues of this newsletter at this site.
Please note that we do not sell or share your contact information. 

Tick ID Website Information on how to get ticks identified, tick biology, tick removal, tick management and tick-borne diseases. Most UMaine Extension offices will have tick removal spoons available while supplies last.
 
Featured UMaine Extension Publications 

 

The following agriculture related Extension publications are available or can be ordered at the Extension Office nearest you.  You will notice that some publications are free and some have a cost recovery charge.  Many other publications are available for free online or may be purchased at our secure  publications web site.
  • This Old Hayfield: A Factsheet on Hayland Renovation #2491, Learn how to bring neglected hay fields back into production or simply maintain the fields with desirable grasses and open space. 2 pages. � 2004 by University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Download it for free here or buy a color copy $0.50.
  • Humane Livestock Handling #1034 Written by Temple Grandin, North America's most influential advocate of humane livestock treatment, this book reviews the natural behavior and temperament of cattle. The book includes construction plans, diagrams and detailed designs for putting Grandin's ideas into practice. Featuring plans for everything from gate latches to chutes, corrals, and sorting pens for full-scale facilities, there are designs that can be used in both large and small operations. 2008. 228 pages. From Storey Publishing $24.95.
Featured Resources from Others
  • Northeast SARE has a series of videos on Beef Cattle including case studies from six beef farms that are selling their meat through direct farm markets. There are a number of other videos on these website for the new and beginning beef producer. Click here.

Calendar

  • August 9, 2014 Pasture Walk at Widdershins, 1 - 3 pm, (Chris and Wendy Russell), 843 Bear Hill Rd., Dover-Foxcroft. Co-sponsored with Pistcataquis Soil and Water conservation District. They provide quality grass-fed beef, lamb, raw milk, pasture raised pork & poultry as well as quality Devon cattle & Katahdin sheep breeding stock to people interested in eating and living better with local food.
  • August 23, 2014 Pasture Walk at Chellis Brook Farm, 2 - 4 p.m (Denise Carpenter), 167 Spring Rd., Newfield.
  • August 20 - 21, 2014 Maine Farm Days (click here), Misty Meadow Farm, Clinton.
  • August 26, 2014 Gubernatorial Form 1 pm, sponsored by the Agricultural Council of Maine at Sportsman's Alliance of Maine Office, 205 Church Hill Rd, Augusta. The focus will be on Agriculture.
  • September 27, 2014 Deadline to wean and first shots for Pre-conditioned Feeder Calf Sale Protocol.
  • November 1, 2014 Pre-Conditioned Feeder Calf Sale, sponsored by the Maine Beef Producers Association, Richmond, ME. Click here for weaning & vaccination protocol and grass fed affidavit. FMI contact sale manager Pete Dusoe at 207-416-5441 or [email protected]
  • December 6, 2014 Maine Beef Conference - Ramada Inn, Bangor. Mark your calendars!
Contact Info 
Donna Coffin, Extension Educator
207-564-3301 or in Maine 1-800-287-1491
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